`General Store Without The Food' Closes A Neighborhood Era -- Welch Hardware Ends 52 Years As Central District Institution

In 1946, three brothers decided to open a fuel and hardware store on South Jackson Street, recognizing a fertile demand for tools in the building boom that followed World War II.

Over the next 52 years, Welch Hardware became an indispensable community hub in the Central District - what co-owner Jack Rothwell describes as "a general store without the food."

But the store will close early next month. The owners of the property at 23rd Avenue and Jackson have decided to lease it to another tenant who will redevelop the site.

Rothwell declined to name the new tenant, saying the deal isn't final yet.

Although property values in the area have climbed, Rothwell said the decision to close was easier to make after several years of losing business to the Rainier Avenue South outpost of Eagle Hardware & Garden, the warehouse home-improvement retailer that recently agreed to be acquired by the Lowe's chain.

"When you're a small business, you've got what you've got in your bank account," Rothwell said. "These guys are on the New York Stock Exchange. It's like going to the Indianapolis 500 with a wheelbarrow."

With customers becoming more pressed for time, Rothwell said, it's easy to understand why people might prefer shopping at a giant chain.

"You can't blame people for doing it," Rothwell said. "They want it right now, because it's 2:30 on Saturday and that's the only time they have to get it."

"They want all the selection," he said. "Whether they need it all might be a point of debate. Do they really need a wall of hammers?"

Welch's practical and eclectic array of merchandise - ranging from weed-eaters to pots and pans to Christmas lawn decorations - is being liquidated as the store's Jan. 4 closing date nears. The store's windows are plastered with fluorescent "quitting business" signs.

Neighborhood residents say they'll miss the familiarity and convenience of having Welch's around.

"It's so close. It's easy," said Brenda Littleton, 44, a Central District resident since 1974. "For years, I didn't have a car. So, I could just run by here, and I could find anything."

The neighborhood is in the midst of a transformation. New chain stores such as Starbucks, Hollywood Video and Walgreens now anchor the intersection of 23rd and Jackson.

What hasn't changed, Rothwell said, is the steadfast patronage of a cadre of longtime neighborhood residents.

"This is a great neighborhood," Rothwell said. "The people are wonderful - they've been very loyal. . . . For so many years, we were basically the only business in the area. We always tried to have the things people needed."

Rothwell said he's disappointed the store is closing, but "52 years is a really good run . . . a business like this can only last for so long."

Jake Batsell's phone message number is 206-464-2595. His e-mail address is jbatsell@seattletimes.com